October 5, 2015
This sharp critique of French winemakers, and Bordeaux’s Saint Emilion region in particular, caused quite a stir when it was published in France in 2014, and it even resulted in a defamation lawsuit from Hubert de Boüard, one of the vintners mentioned in this dishy exposé. Saporta (The Black Book of Agriculture) doesn’t pull any punches, portraying an industry rife with enormous egos and long histories of trying to become even more profitable, tradition be damned. The most glaring embodiment of this is in the shifting classification of vineyards in order to raise their profiles and prices, as well as to attract the attention of the highly lucrative and fast-growing Chinese market. Prominent producers once focused on quality and tradition are now said to display a cavalier attitude toward pesticides and chemical residues in wines, regardless of their effects on taste and quality. Saporta is not afraid to name names and highlight the ramifications of a few elites’ backroom machinations on smaller producers, as well as on France’s beloved wine industry as a whole. Saporta’s precision in identifying her targets and laying out supporting evidence adds drama to an already-melodramatic saga, and teetotalers and oenophiles alike will find it hard to resist.
October 1, 2015
Wine and Money Now that most humans live in a world of safe drinking water, the ubiquitousness of wine as a daily drinking beverage, even for children, has disappeared, replaced by the notion of wine as a distinguished drink for adults, to augment the tastes of the food it accompanies. Who would think, then, that the French wine industry, especially the world-famous Bordeaux winethe epitome, in many eyes, of a sophisticated, time-honored, and above-the-fray enterprisewould be draped in the black crepe of rank commercialism? According to prominent French journalist Saporta, Bordeaux has now become a huge business, a subject of large-scale speculation, and a worldwide brand. And what are the features and effects of Bordeaux having been sullied as a commodity like the shares of a globalsay, telecommunicationscompany? First off, the author makes no bones about the shifts in theory and practice when it comes to the production of wine: Say goodbye to the traditional family vineyard. In reading this truly eye-opening expose, American readers will be reminded of what has happened to the family farm here in the U.S., largely replaced by huge acreages owned by big companies that concentrate on one product: corn, pigs, chickens, among other crops and livestock that, together, used to constitute the American farm.So, the most prominent aspect of Bordeaux as big business is the influx of investors from all over the world, the most recent being Chinese businessmen, who, according to this author's statistics, have bought about 50 vineyards in the past four years. What happens when wealthy investors get involved? Their wines become brands sold at astronomical prices because these wines aren't purchased for drinking but as the external sign of wealth. Saporta sees that winemaking will become a speculative venture that is all about image, and with big investors controlling everything, small farmers will not be able to afford to stay on their own land and continue making their own very goodand affordablewine.The author also tackles the knotty problem of wine classification, which these days allots points for the size of the vineyard's parking lot and whether there's a seminar room in the facility.This book provides a rude but, admittedly, fascinating awakening from which we all will walk away a little bit jaded.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)